


Any Witch Way

by sarahcakes613



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: M/M, POV Outsider, Professor Barba, Rafael Barba is a thirsty boi, Truth Spells, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 08:56:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26849287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahcakes613/pseuds/sarahcakes613
Summary: It’s not Kevin’s fault. No matter what anyone says, it’s not his fault.It’s not like he actually even speaks Latin, and how was he supposed to know what the smudged translation in the margin really said?He just wanted to get Professor Barba to tell the class what his final exam questions were going to be. And maybe also what answers he was looking for.It’s not Kevin’s fault that isn’t what happened. It really isn’t.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 55
Collections: Barisi Creatures Bingo





	Any Witch Way

**Author's Note:**

> The genesis for this was a chat and I don't even remotely remember the context but I came up with a line about Barba being under a truth spell and knew I needed to keep it in my back pocket for October. And here we are!

_It’s not Kevin’s fault. No matter what anyone says, it’s not his fault._

_It’s not like he actually even speaks Latin, and how was he supposed to know what the smudged translation in the margin really said?_

_He just wanted to get Professor Barba to tell the class what his final exam questions were going to be. And maybe also what answers he was looking for._

_It’s not Kevin’s fault that isn’t what happened. It really isn’t._

* * *

He murmurs the incantation under his breath as Professor Barba walks into the room and watches as the scrap of paper in his hand flames and burns out, signifying the successful casting of a spell.

“Good evening, everyone.” Professor Barba says as he unpacks his briefcase. “We’re going to have a short class tonight, I want to go over your upcoming exam and then I imagine you’re all going to want to go home and begin studying.”

The students all exchange confused glances. Barba’s a notorious hardass when it comes to class time, he never lets them go even a minute before the clock ticks over.

It’s the perfect opening for Kevin to test the spell.

“Not that we don’t appreciate the extra study time sir, but you’re not usually so generous with our time. Is there a reason you’re willing to let us go early tonight?”

He holds his breath as the professor looks around the room to see who spoke up.

“If you must know, Mr. Wrexler,” Barba says in a mild tone, “my husband is finally coming home from an undercover operation that lasted a week longer than his boss promised me, and I would much rather be naked in bed when he arrives, not sat in here with you lot debating century-old amendments to the copyright act.”

A titter sweeps through the room as everyone laughs at the professor’s casual response. Barba doesn’t seem to acknowledge he’s said anything untoward and he turns back to the pile of papers on his desk. He hands a stack of them to the first person in each row and waits for them to be passed around so that each student has a copy of the sample exam.

“Professor?” Kevin tries again. “Will you be grading the final exam on a curve?”

“No, Mr. Wrexler.” Barba looks up from his own copy of the exam. “I don’t believe in relative grading. The only curve I assign points to is the one in my husband’s dick.”

This time the response is near silence, everyone too startled to respond with anything beyond one or two nervous giggles that are cut off by a hand over a mouth.

It is around here that Kevin realizes his spell may have gone awry and he decides to just take his chance with the exam. He thanks small mercies that the spell is only meant to set off replies to questions from him, and that the professor does not seem cognizant of the candid and remarkably non-professorial manner in which he is speaking.

He stops being thankful when a classmate asks Barba if they can expect specific cases to be referenced and they receive a ten-minute anecdote about a case he’d worked on with his husband that for some reason involved leather belts and has nothing to do with the field of law he is currently teaching.

As soon as Kevin gets home, he is salting and burning the damn spell-book. He wants to believe the truth spell will only last an hour as promised but with the way his luck is going so far tonight, he doesn’t have high hopes.

They manage to get through the remainder of the exam breakdown without interruption, every student now too wary of the answer they might get in response to their question.

The professor dismisses them and Kevin drags his feet, letting everyone filter out of the room before he gets out of his chair. It’s not that he feels _responsible_ because really, _how the hell was he supposed to know this was the response his truth-seeking question spell would get_?? But, still. Maybe he should walk the professor back to his office in case anyone stops to ask for directions and winds up with a map to a nearby sex shop or something.

He doesn’t need to worry about Barba being left alone however, as a tall man in a tight pair of moto jeans and an Ed Hardy t-shirt walks into the classroom and right up to Barba’s desk.

Kevin watches as the professor looks up, a smile on his face that quickly morphs into peals of laughter.

“Dear lord,” Barba chokes out between laughs, “what on earth are you wearing?”

The other man plucks at his shirt in resigned disgust. “I know, it’s awful. This is what the entire lot of them wear, though.”

Barba’s face smooths out and he manages to reign in his sniggers. “You’re all wrapped up, then?”

“Yep, they’re in holding now, arraignment first thing tomorrow.”

Kevin is pretty sure Barba’s lost track of anyone else still in the room, because he doesn’t think the man would ever let his students see him with such a soft look of relief and love on his face.

He looks surreptitiously at his phone. It’s been 55 minutes since the incantation and it’s supposed to wear off in 60. As long as the professor is the only one asking questions for the next five minutes, he should be safe.

He decides to take his chances and slips his bag over one shoulder, hoping to slip out unnoticed. His luck runs out as he is circling around the tables to the door and he hears the professor’s husband ask “Hey, I only had a quick hot dog after I made my report so I’m still pretty hungry. You got any idea what you’d like to eat?”

As Kevin finally slips out the door he can feel himself flush hot, because even though he can’t hear the response Professor Barba has apparently whispered into his husband’s ear, he can guess at the content based entirely on the shriek of “you want to eat my what?!” that it garners in response.

Yes, he’s definitely burning that spell-book. And possibly changing majors.


End file.
